Blue Meets Gold
by AzureBloodmoon
Summary: A year or two after the actual show's setting, Zuko and Iroh had joined with Aang, Katara, and Sokka to fight against the Fire Nation and, chiefly, the evil Fire Lord. This is my version of what happens, through the lovestruck eyes of Zuko and Katara.
1. Chapter 1

_This is the first time I've ever written a story for anything but myself, and this is far from perfect, so bear with me. This is an Avatar: The Last Airbender fanfiction. Completely ZukoxKatara. Rated: M_

**Chapter 1: Good News...Right?**

"Zuko, I'm pregnant," she said quietly, fidgeting with anxiety. They were both so young, and now they were going to be parents! Well, at least, Katara was. She wasn't giving up her child, but she had no idea how the baby's father would feel about it. After all, it was completely unplanned, and between former enemies, no less! She wondered what the Fire Lord would think of getting a grandchild in about eight months…

"What!" he exclaimed, incredulous. Had he heard her right? Had she really said that she was pregnant? The next two words from her lovely mouth confirmed it.

"I'm pregnant," she repeated, her voice a little more firm this time despite the fact that her heart was pounding madly and her stomach was doing flip-flops.

"I heard you the first time," he murmured, getting up off the log he was sitting on to pace. "How did this happen…"

"Well," Katara began, dryly, "one night after Aang, Sokka, and your uncle went to bed, we started talking, and—"

"I know _how _it happened, woman! What I meant was how _could_ this have happened?" Oh, he remembered that night, alright. How could he not, when it occupied his thoughts almost constantly? Unbidden, his mind once again went through the scenario, only in a lot more detail than Katara had begun it…


	2. Chapter 2

_It had been a warm night, but not too warm for a fire. They had all been exhausted; Zuko in particular, considering the fact that he was teaching the Avatar—Aang—the basics of firebending. Despite the exhaustion of teaching Aang, who was an apt student despite his rather short attention span, the exiled Fire Nation prince could not sleep. He kept seeing lovely blue eyes, imagining those eyes closing as he leaned in to kiss her…_

_Someone had cleared their throat. Startled, Zuko had looked up…right into the very eyes he had been fantasizing about. "Ack!" he'd cried, falling off the log he'd been sitting on. Wincing, he had sat up, trying very hard to ignore Shu's—Katara's—concerned questions of whether or not he was alright. Unfortunately, the effort was in vain, for her concern for him had pleased Zuko a lot more than he'd cared to admit._

_"Yeah, I'm alright. Uh, thanks." He had managed to haul himself back onto the log, trying hard—and failing miserably—to quell the irrational glee that coursed through him as she sat down beside him. _

_An awkward silence had followed. Finally, though, after a few minutes, Zuko had broken the silence. "So…couldn't sleep?" he'd asked, partially wanting to end the silence, partially because he wanted to know, to hear her lovely voice again. Spirits, but he was pathetic…_

_Katara had looked down, as if embarrassed, and said, "Yeah. I'm so exhausted, yet…" She'd shrugged, finally looking up at him. "I noticed that you weren't sleeping either, so I decided to come join you…I guess I startled you…umm…sorry." She blushed so prettily. Too bad she had turned her head, blocking his view of her eyes. He'd bet that they sparkled beautifully when she blushed. He knew they did when she smiled._

_The prince had fought the urge to smile, fighting also to keep his thoughts from being written on his face. That would have been bad. "It's alright. I was just thinking, really…" Right when he said it, he'd known he shouldn't have._

_Sure enough, Katara had looked up, a question in her lovely eyes that she asked but a second later. "Oh?" she'd asked softly, scooting a little closer to him, much to his delight and discomfort. "What were you thinking about?"_

_Now he'd done it. He'd had to think of a lie, and quickly. After all, he couldn't have very well told her that he had been imagining what it would be like to kiss her. "Uh, I was just…thinking about how Uncle and I had come to travel with you, your brother, and the Avatar," he'd answered, pleased that he'd been able to think up a lie quickly enough yet at the same time feeling ashamed for lying at all. He had looked at her, then, warming to the subject. "I'd been trying to capture Aang for so long, then when we became outlaws of the Fire Nation and finally joined with together…It just seems so crazy. The Avatar was my **enemy**, and then I join forces to travel with him?" Zuko had shaken his head, amazed at the turn his life had taken. "Even going so far as to teach him firebending…"_

_It'd taken him a moment to realize that she'd been staring at him in a way that confused and excited him all at the same time. He'd seen girls with that look in their eyes before, some directed at him, most not. But, with her it was different. With her…Next thing he'd known, his eyes were closed and he was **kissing **her! And she was kissing him back! Spirits, but it had been wonderful, heavenly…and it had ended far too soon._

_"Zuko, wait," she'd said, pulling away from him, which had caused a strange feeling of loss in him. "This isn't right. Spirits know it **feels **right, but—"_

_The banished prince of the Fire Nation had covered her lips with a finger, ignoring the tingly feeling the contact was giving him, and had smiled. "If it feels right, then how do you know it **isn't?**" He had thought himself quite clever for coming up with that, but that hadn't lasted long for, still smiling, he had recaptured her lips and had deepened the kiss that had begun gentle and tender and had been interrupted._

_After a moment of pure bliss had passed, Katara had once again pulled away, but that time, it had not been to question or protest, but rather it'd been to pull him off into the woods, both smiling and laughing softly. _This is right, _Zuko had thought as he'd been gently, but insistently, pulled along a scant few steps behind her. Perhaps logically it'd been wrong, they'd been enemies not six months before, but emotionally, nothing had felt more right._

_They'd reached a small clearing, just out of earshot of the camp. There, Shu had pushed Oma down onto the ground, gently of course, and had resumed kissing…devouring…loving. Sometime during their kissing, Zuko had managed to get Katara onto her back, and their clothing had mysteriously disappeared from their bodies—and had landed not too far away. How that had happened, neither had known, but so deep had they been in their ardor that an earthquake could have raged beneath their entwined bodies and they would have merely thought it was part of the immense passion that they had shared._

_There, on a warm night in a clearing not a quarter mile from the camp where the others slept, the children of two enemy nations had once again proclaimed their love of each other for the first time…_


	3. Chapter 3

_In the morning, Zuko and Katara had awoken in each other's arms, still exhausted and spent from the night of loving…only to find the members of their little group staring at them with emotions ranging from sadness to elation. And, of course, rage._

_"What have you done to my sister!" an enraged Sokka had bellowed, covering Katara with his coat before pulling her away from Zuko, who had hurriedly covered himself as well. It had **not **been the scenario that Zuko had imagined it would be. Not at all._

_"It's not what you think!" the prince had insisted, knowing even as he said it that it was an outright lie. It was **exactly **what they thought—that he and Katara had spent the night loving each other. "Alright," he had amended, holding up his hands as if to surrender, "so it is what you think, but—"_

_"You stay away from her!" Sokka had snarled as he pushed a sobbing Katara back in the direction of the camp. Once the young water tribe warrior was satisfied that his sister was headed back to the safety of the camp, he had turned back toward the Fire Nation prince, his swarthy face contorted in rage. "If you ever come near my sister again, I'll—I'll—Well, I don't know what I'll do, but it won't be good, you can be sure of that! So stay away!" That said, Sokka had marched in the direction his sibling had taken, leaving Zuko alone with his beaming uncle and the obviously hurt Avatar._

_Sighing, Zuko had sunk back down onto the log, his face cupped in his hands. "I've really made a mess of things, haven't I?" he'd murmured, not aiming it at anyone in particular. He had lowered his hands to rest between his knees and had hung his head in shame and self-pity. Oh, he hadn't been sorry about making love to her. Not at all. But he **had **been sorry about how the others had found out about it. It wasn't supposed to have been like that. Hearing another sigh, the prince had looked up just in time to see the Avatar walk away in a dejected sort of way. Zuko had put the question of what was bothering Aang in the back of his mind to be examined later. Instead, he'd looked up at his uncle. "What am I going to do now, Uncle?" he'd asked, miserably. Oh yes, he had definitely made a mess of things. A big mess._

_Instead of answering, General Iroh had merely patted his nephew's shoulder, then made his way back to camp, leaving the young prince alone with his thoughts._

Nothing had been the same in the little group since that day. Aang had moped; Sokka had glared; Iroh had stayed quiet for the most part, a most unusual thing for the former Fire Nation General to do; Katara had acted like a ghost, floating around the camp in a miserable silence; and Zuko…Zuko had been ashamed. He'd been ashamed that he hadn't controlled his feelings for her, that he even _had _feelings for her. Even feeling the shame as he did, he still hadn't regretted being with Katara. No, never that. And soon, everything had returned more or less to normal, if a bit more strained than it had been before. For one thing, whenever Aang saw Zuko and Katara near each other, the boy got this hurt look in his eyes. And, of course, Sokka's insistence that the prince stay as far away from his sister as possible, especially at night. Iroh had returned to normal, even going so far as to suggest they have a music night, much to his nephew's dismay.

But now they had another crisis to worry about. They wouldn't be able to hide Katara's pregnancy forever, after all. Eventually, the others would figure it out. Eventually, Zuko would have to face Sokka's wrath…


	4. Chapter 4

"No, no, a thousand times no!" Sokka raved, pacing around the camp in between hate-filled glares at Zuko. "I told you to stay _away _from my sister. And now you tell me that you are going to take her—_alone_—to a village to get healed for being sick? She doesn't look sick to me, and even if she is, I don't want _you _to take her anywhere! Katara is _my _sister and I can take her to the village myself!"

"First of all, Sokka," Katara began, her tone betraying her irritation with her brother, "I'm right here. Please don't talk about me as if I'm not. And second of all, you need to be here to help Aang."

"True, but why can't we _all _go instead of just _him _taking you?"

This time Zuko spoke up, speaking calmly and using logic so that the enraged Water Tribe warrior would see reason on that—even if the errand _was_ fake. "Because Aang needs to be at the Fire Temple before the full moon—which is only a week away. Any detour would result in him being too late."

Sokka was silent for a moment, thinking as he continued to glare and pace. He couldn't refute that reasoning—it was too sound. However…"But you need to teach Aang how to firebend!" he cried, triumphant in his belief that he had outsmarted the Fire Nation prince.

"I could do it," Iroh volunteered, smiling cheerfully. The one-time General of the Fire Nation wasn't fooled for an instant by his nephew and the Water Tribe girl, having seen the way the two looked at each other when no one else was looking. Also, he remembered the morning he and the others had found the two curled up together without any clothing. Iroh was no fool. Logic would say that he should do anything in his power to keep the two young lovers apart. However, fool though he was not, Iroh wanted grandchildren, and he suspected that his nephew's lover was already carrying a great-niece or –nephew. That in of itself was enough to persuade him, though the fact that being with the waterbender girl would make Zuko happy was also a determining factor. So, who was he to intervene? "I may be old," the old firebender pointed out, amused, "but I can still bend fire."

Sokka stared at the old man for a moment, his mouth hanging open in startled dismay. Finally, he regrouped. "Well then, old man, if you can still firebend, then _you _take Katara to the nearest village to get help!"

Once again, poor Sokka's hopes were shot down out of the sky. "You just said yourself that I'm old. I'm too old to make that kind of hasty journey. This journey alone may well put me in my grave," Iroh said, smiling innocently. That was a lie, but he was certain the boy was a bit too dense to figure that out.

The young Water Tribe warrior continued to rant for several minutes more, angrily suggesting alternatives which were each shot down by one of the members of the group—even Aang helped! Finally, though, Sokka had to admit defeat, though he was by no means happy about it. That evil Fire Prince Zuko taking his baby sister to a village to get help for a sickness he didn't even see; it was ludicrous! Yet, what could he do? If Katara really was sick, Sokka wanted her to be helped by any means possible. But did it have to be Zuko who took her? Apparently so, judging by the fact that each of his ideas had been countered, leaving the warrior no choice but to concede…but he'd be damned if he would be happy about it! Oh no, he was going to kill that horrible Zuko someday, by Spirits! All he had to do was bide his time…"Fine. I give up. Go. Just don't touch her, or else!"

Zuko bowed in seeming thanks, but was really mocking, and said, "I thank you, warrior, for allowing me to escort your sister to the nearest village. I promise I will not hurt her." His phrasing was deliberate, of course. He hadn't said _what _he was taking Katara to the village for, and of course he wouldn't hurt her—he intended to marry her, after all; why would he hurt his soon-to-be wife? Secretly, so no one else could see, he smiled at Katara, love and triumph shining in his golden eyes, filing away the warm feeling that occurred in him when she smiled back to be saved for use on a night that was not quite so happy as this one.

Katara wasn't the only one that saw, and understood, the smile, however. The Avatar saw it, too, and understood what it meant. It meant that Zuko was in love with Katara, and, judging by the way she smiled back at him, Katara was in love with Zuko. The part of Aang that was the Avatar rejoiced in the knowledge. A union between a child of water and a child of fire would go leagues towards forging a peace between the two nations. However, his private self, the part of him that was in love with Katara himself, was not happy by this new development. Not happy at all…


	5. Chapter 5

The two young lovers set out the next morning, wondering at how they could keep their charade going when both were near to bursting with happiness and excitement. Somehow, they managed it—or so they thought—and had managed not to smile once until they had left the presence of Sokka, Aang, and Iroh. Only when the three were completely out of sight did Zuko and Katara allow themselves to smile.

"For a minute there, I thought we would never get away!" the prince said, allowing his love for her to shine through. What he wouldn't give to proclaim his love for her to everyone, even her overbearing brother! Unfortunately, Zuko could not do that. Not yet, anyway. Someday he would, there was no doubt about it, but for now, it was enough that he was going to marry her. Katara would be his—even if only in secret for now. But, secret or not, she _would _be his, and that was enough. That was enough.

"I know! If my idiot brother hadn't kept threatening you, then we would have gotten away sooner," Katara said, grinning. "But we're alone now, together at last." Her smile faded a little. "I wish we could tell them, though. I wish we didn't have to be so secretive about us."

Zuko sighed and nodded, then looked at her, his eyes saying more than words ever could just how much he agreed with her. "I do, too, Katara. I do, too."

"Why, if it isn't my big brother," an all-too familiar voice said from not five feet away from them. "And what's this? He's with a girl! Say, aren't you that waterbender that travels with the Avatar? You are! Well, well, well, isn't this my lucky day. I find my fugitive brother and a companion of the Avatar—all at once! Oh, how perfect! Okay, boys. You know what to do."

Throughout Azula's speech, Zuko and Katara had remained motionless, too stunned to run. Not that running would have done much good, anyway, what with the princess's firebending skills. But, as five firebender soldiers closed in on the two, they attempted it, anyway, despite the fact that it was futile. As a blast of lightning streaked over their heads, Zuko turned around and prepared himself to face their attackers. Katara stopped, too, but he turned to her and cried, "No, Katara! Save yourself! Go warn the Avatar—I'll hold them off!" Still, she hesitated. He shot a fireball at her feet, just to get her moving. "GO!"

Tears streaming down her face, the waterbender turned and did as she was bid, running at full tilt toward the camp. Though her heart was breaking and fear for him was choking her, Katara made her way back to where Aang and the others were camped. She had to warn them! _Dear Spirits let Zuko be safe…Let him be safe…_

"Isn't that sweet," Azula said, coming closer to her older brother, who was trying to keep her soldiers from going after the waterbender. "Fighting us even though you _know _you'll lose, just so your girlfriend can make it safely back to warn the Avatar. How quaint. Too bad that selfless act of heroism will be in vain. While these three beat the hell out of you and put you in chains to be presented to our father, the Fire Lord, the other two are hunting down your pretty water witch and will bring her back here to kill her before she ever gets a chance to warn the Avatar. If you're good and tell us where he is, her death will be fast and relatively painless—though you'll still have to watch it, of course. Your death, however…" A lightning bolt struck the ground between his legs, causing him to cringe as the two of the three remaining soldiers held onto him. He had put up a good fight, but Azula's men had overcome him with few casualties. The other two soldiers had already gone off to find Katara. Azula continued. "Your death will be slow and painful, no doubt. The death of a traitor. And you deserve it, too, for putting your lot in with the Avatar instead of trying to capture him as father had asked you to." Azula paused a moment, staring at her older brother silently, her thoughts hidden by a blank mask. Finally, she seemed to come out of her reverie, but instead of speaking to Zuko, she spoke to the soldiers who were still with them: the ones who had so thoroughly pounded him. "I have nothing more to say to him right now. When you're finished, bring him to the ship. You know what to do from here." With that, Princess Azula of the Fire Nation walked away, leaving her brother to the "mercies" of three well-trained Fire Nation soldiers. All it took was one more hit to the head, and Zuko's world went black…


	6. Chapter 6

"We have to help him, Sokka!" Katara snapped at her brother, glaring fiercely at him. If only he would see reason! The thought of leaving her beloved Zuko alone with that monster Azula and her cronies…It was just too much. After she had thoroughly trounced the two Fire Nation soldiers who had come after her, the waterbender had ran all the way back to camp and, breathless, had told the others what had happened. As she had expected, Sokka had insisted that they go on quickly before Azula could come after them, too, and leave the Fire Nation prince to fend for himself.

That was when Katara had snapped at Sokka, leaving him staring at her in shock. Never had he seen his sister so vehement about something other than waterbending! It confused and even frightened him, a little. _What could make her care about that evil Zuko so much? _Sokka wondered, staying quiet while his little sister convinced Aang to save the firebender who had risked so much for them without them even knowing it. Iroh hadn't needed convincing in the least, of course, which was to be expected. But Aang…Aang had given in too quickly, in Sokka's opinion. Far too quickly. Finally, though, the Water Tribe warrior consented and, in a meek, defeated voice, asked, "So what will we do now?"

"I have a plan," Katara said, the grim determination in her face and tone shocking all but Iroh, who was quite pleased by it, to say the least. Motioning for the others to gather around, she knelt down in the dirt and, with a nearby stick, began drawing out The Plan for rescuing Zuko. After a couple minutes, she looked up. "Everyone know what they're going to do?"

They all nodded. She smiled. "Good. Let's go." Determination and more than a little fear making her heart flutter madly, Katara made her way toward Appa, where Aang and Sokka were waiting. Climbing up, the waterbender looked back down on her soon-to-be uncle-in-law (if all went well), grateful that he had volunteered to stay behind and watch their things while she, Aang, and a reluctant Sokka went off to rescue her beloved Zuko. She prayed he was alright, and that they would make it before Azula hurt him _too _much…


	7. Chapter 7

_Sorry it took me so long to update—life has been hectic lately. Now that I'm out of school, though, I'll be able to update this more often! Once again, sorry its so late!_

Zuko awoke to a pain—a lot of pain. His head was throbbing, his lip felt swollen, and every inch of his body felt bruised and battered. He felt like Appa had pounded him into the ground. And then realization dawned: it hadn't been the flying bison that pounded him; it had been three Fire Nation soldiers…by Azula's orders. Zuko groaned, both in self-pity and shame for having been captured by soldiers that used to be under his command—at least in theory.

_Stop feeling sorry for yourself, _he scolded himself fiercely, forcing his abused neck to lift his equally-abused head up to look around and take stock of his situation. His wrists were above his head in manacles, which were connected to the metal wall. Considering the fact that the entire room was swaying a little, Zuko knew that he was on a ship. He also knew that someone was coming into his cell—Azula.

"Oh good, you're awake," his evil sister said cheerfully. She shut the door and locked it before making her way toward her captive older brother, a chillingly sweet smile on her hated face. "I hope you're comfortable, brother, because you'll be staying here for quite a while—in fact, I may not even left you leave, depending on if you cooperate with me or not." Azula stopped just out of kicking distance and looked down at him with one of the most frightening expressions he'd ever seen on her face: innocence. Or rather, feigned innocence. "Then again, even if you do cooperate, I _still _might not let you leave—but if you do, your death will be quick and relatively painless, unlike what it would be like if you didn't give me what I want. The choice is yours, brother dear: a quick and relatively painless death if you behave yourself and give me what I want…or a slow, agonizing death if you don't."

Zuko glared up at his only sibling, hoping against hope that he didn't look nearly as terrified as he felt. If most sisters threatened their brothers with that, the brother wouldn't take it seriously. Zuko, however, took it very seriously. If she said it, she would do it. He knew his sister well; she was cunning and ruthless, just like their father. "What do you want from me?" he asked cautiously, though he nevertheless glared up at her. He had no intention of giving her whatever it is that she wanted, of course—especially if it had anything to do with Katara, even indirectly—but it would still be nice to know what she wanted before he made his escape. That way, once he was free, he could warn the others.

"Oh, just some information," Azula said casually as she leaned against the wall beside him—but not too close to him, Zuko noticed. She looked at him then, her eyes burning with hatred and determination. "Information regarding the whereabouts of your friend, the Avatar."

Zuko had figured that that had been what she was after, but why did she want Aang so much? That, he had every intention of finding out. "What do you want with the Avatar? You're already the favored child—it isn't like Father is going to refuse you the throne now that I'm disgraced as well as banished. So why would you need to find him when you're already more than likely going to get the throne?" Probably not the most tactful approach, but Zuko figured that it might just work. Maybe.

Azula shrugged, pushing herself off the wall and pacing slowly in front of him, always keeping out of striking distance. She did this for a couple minutes, then stopped and looked at him again, her expression more thoughtful than anything else, though a hint of the madness that he had always figured was there was lurking not far beneath the surface. Suddenly, her expression changed completely, becoming enraged and more than a little fevered with insanity. Her hands curled into white-knuckled fists as she spoke. "Father wants me to marry a powerful bender before he'll give me the throne. He thinks that I'm not strong enough to protect myself; that I need a man to rule over me as Fire Lord." Azula snarled angrily at the notion and began pacing again, faster this time, her entire body rigid with furious outrage at such a notion. She continued pacing for a couple minutes, muttering darkly under her breath, until she seemed to remember that he was there, and so stopped, her features smooth and as expressionless as granite. "If I capture the Avatar, you see, that would show him that I'm _not _weak—that I'm strong enough to capture the boy that has evaded both you and Admiral Zhao for so long, therefore showing Father that I _don't _need a husband to rule for me. I can rule the Fire Nation all by myself. And with the Avatar under my control, I could even rule the world!" She stopped, her face becoming dark with determination. "Now…tell me where the Avatar is, and I'll go easy on you. Tell me, and I won't torture you very much. If you don't…you'll wish Mother had never had you. I'll give you three chances to tell me before I start torturing you. Here's your first chance: where is the Avatar?"

Zuko spat in her face in answer. Probably not the wisest idea, but it certainly felt good. At least, it did until she sent a bolt of lightning coursing through his body, making him cry out with pain. Hadn't she said that she'd give him three chances before she'd start torturing him? If this wasn't torture, then he seriously began to fear what she considered to be torture.

Azula wiped her face off, looking only mildly miffed. "Strike one. Here's your second chance before I _really _start torturing you; that was just a love zap compared to what I'll do to you after strike three. Your second chance: where is the Avatar?"

This time, the once-Prince of the Fire Nation aimed a fireball from his mouth at her head. It occurred to him that he could probably get out of the manacles by heating them up—but that would take a while, and he only had one "strike" left. He had to stall her somehow. But how?

Azula dodged the fireball easily, her expression darkening only a little as she sent a stronger bolt of lightning into his poor, already much abused body, making him cry out once again. His cries seemed to improve her mood, he noted dully through the haze of pain that was already beginning to wear on him greatly. Zuko wasn't sure he'd be able to hold off much longer. Maybe if he had been in peak condition, he would have, but not now, not after the beating he had taken. Suddenly he wasn't feeling quite so brave—but he had to protect Katara at all costs! Even if that cost was his own life.

"Strike two, brother. This is your last chance, so think before you act hastily like you did the last two times. Since you're being so brave now, I think I might let you go after I have captured the Avatar and returned him to the Fire Nation. Never think that Azula has no ounce of mercy—I do, I just don't use it much. Only on special occasions, you might say." Her rambling was giving him a chance to heat up the manacles; if he acted like he was considering what she was saying, maybe he could heat them up enough so he could break free before she asked the question again.

"I'm giving you two options, here. You could either deny me the information I'm going to get out of you eventually through long hours of torture before I kill you and go off to capture the Avatar, or you could tell me where he is now and I'll set you free! Of course, before I let you go, you would have to promise never to come back to the Fire Nation to claim the throne, but I'm sure you wouldn't mind that too much. After all, think of what you could have without having to bear the burden of being the heir to the Fire Throne! You could live a normal life without constantly being in my shadow like you used to be. You could be an only child again. Why, you could even marry and start a family with that waterbender you are so fond of! Think about it. You could be happy again, like you were before Mother left us." She paused. Damnit! And he was almost finished, too!

"Make your choice, brother. Do you choose a normal life with that waterbender you care about so much? Or would you rather die a horrible death in vain, because you know I'm going to get the Avatar either way. There's no getting around that. So what'll it be? Life and love? Or are you going to die in pain, alone and pointlessly? Decide now. This is your last chance: where is the Avatar?"

"I'm right here, Azula!"


	8. Chapter 8

_Sorry it took me so long to update. Life's been crazy lately. But anyway. Tonight's episode of ALTA was AWESOME! Loved it! Poor Zuko…Anyway. Think I'll find some way to incorporate Toph and what happened to Iroh in future chapters. We'll see!_

"I'm right here, Azula!" Aang called from the doorway, Katara crouched down in fighting position right beside him. Her canteen was open and she was ready to fight! But then she saw Zuko, how battered he looked, and in chains! _Dear spirits!_ she thought, wishing she could rush to him and heal every scratch and bruise on his beloved body. The waterbender looked at Aang, passing a brief, silent communication to him. He nodded, understanding. Holding in her relief, Katara inched her way toward her fiancé while the Avatar moved in on a now-recovered Azula, who had been shocked to see her quarry in the doorway just waiting to be captured.

The Fire Nation Princess sent a blast of blue fire at Aang, who narrowly blocked it with a gust of wind before countering with a fire blast of his own, albeit not blue. This pattern continued for many moments, with Azula shooting at Aang with blue fire or lightning and Aang countering with either fire of his own or air.

Katara, seeing that the fighters' attention was solely on each other, made her way toward Zuko. His manacles were glowing red and he was wincing. At first, she thought the horrible witch Azula had heated the manacles herself to torture him, but then the waterbender realized that it was Zuko himself heating the manacles so he could escape. She had to repress a surge of pride at her love's resourcefulness. Pride later, rescue now. Finally, after what seemed like ages, Katara reached the place where Zuko was chained up and knelt down in front of him. "Are you alright?" she whispered as she brought a stream of water to cover the right manacle before freezing it and smashing it. The piece of metal shattered.

"Yeah, I'm okay," he replied, flexing his hand into a fist, then stretching it back out to regain feeling in his fingers that had been in the air far too long. "What about you?" he asked while she froze the other manacle and smashed it. He flexed his left hand, stretched it out, and rubbed his abused wrists. "Are you okay?"

She nodded, blinking back tears, and reached down to help him to his feet. "I'm alright. Can you bend, or should we just get out of here?" He looked at her. The look said, quite clearly, that he was able to bend and that she should have known better than to ask that question. Katara shrugged and both approached the still-fighting Aang and Azula. Zuko sent a fire blast at his malevolent sister, followed by the strike of a water whip courtesy of the only waterbender in the group.

"Thanks, guys!" Aang called, sending a fireball at Azula, all the while backing up. Though usually, the goal would be to corner the enemy and destroy, but this time the trio merely wanted to get out of the cell and back out into fresh air. That, and they had a plan, simple though effective. If all went well, that is. Finally, they had reached the door, though Azula was closer than they would have liked. Still…Once again, a silent exchange passed between Aang and Katara. On a silent count of three, the Avatar sent a great blast of air at the malevolent princess, slamming her up against the wall, then Aang, Katara, and Zuko hurried out the door, shut it, and locked it.

"There," the waterbender said, smiling as she hurried along the hallway. "That wasn't so bad. Now for the hard part—getting off the ship."

Up on the deck, Appa was floating silently beside the ship, waiting for them. Sokka had dispatched the guards and was sitting impatiently on the flying bison's saddle when the three he had been waiting for finally came out from below deck. "Finally!" he scolded as he handed each one into Appa's saddle. The Water Tribe warrior looked at the former Fire Nation prince with barely veiled contempt. "I take it since _you_ are here that the mission was successful."

Katara sighed, knowing full well that her brother hated her soon-to-be husband, but could see no way around it. He would have to deal with it. Hopefully, having a niece or nephew to dote on would soften Sokka up a little toward his future brother-in-law. "Yes, it was. Now let's get back to camp and go to the Fire Temple!"

"You're right, Katara. We need to hurry—we've already lost a day and the full moon is only five days away! Hey, that rhymed…Appa, yip-yip!" Off they went, back to camp and then…to the Fire Temple!


End file.
